SunWater Solar

SEIA, the Solar Energy Industries Association, has released its year in review report for 2009, and they are calling for a continued increase in solar water heating systems in 2010 after a 10% growth rate in 2009.  Here is an excerpt from the report:

“SEIA expects continued growth in SWH in 2010. This year, California will launch the most ambitious state SWH incentive program with the goal of installing 200,000 SWH systems. In addition, increased use of SWH to generate renewable energy certificates (RECs) to meet state renewable energy standards could drive additional deployment in some states as we began to see in Arizona last year. This optimism is mirrored by the many new products seeking certification from the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation, the testing body charged with certifying equipment for eligibility to take the federal ITC.”

In addition to solar water heating, the report sites the huge potential of solar thermal technology for cooling applications like air conditioning and industrial cooling.  “While solar cooling technologies have yet to take off in the U.S., the potential is enormous. More than 60 percent of energy consumed residential and commercial buildings is for thermal services. Of that, water heating accounts for about one quarter. The rest is used for space heating and cooling, a huge growth opportunity for solar energy over the next few years.”

SunWater Solar offers both solar water heating and solar thermal cooling solutions and looks forward to more customers adopting solar thermal as a cost effective way of reducing energy bills and greenhouse gasses.

SunWater Solar, one of the only companies in California that specializes in Solar Thermal technology, today released a new video: “Solar Hot Water Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow.” This five-minute video is an excellent source of information for anyone looking to learn more about Solar Thermal, an efficient, low-cost, renewable energy source.

“Solar Hot Water Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow” provides an overview of Solar Thermal technology and its history, benefits and applications. The video is narrated by SunWater Solar’s executive team, who are among the most knowledgeable experts in the U.S. Solar Thermal industry. Loaded with insightful commentary and high-quality footage of Solar Thermal systems in action, the video introduces viewers to a technology whose brightest days are still ahead, and that will play a vital role in reducing pollution and reliance on fossil fuels.

Click here to view “Solar Hot Water Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow” (http://www.sunwatersolar.com/video.php).

Solar Thermal began to attract increased public attention in January 2010 when the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the California Solar Initiative (CSI) Thermal Program, which authorized $350 million in rebates. Solar Thermal systems use the sun’s energy, rather than fossil fuels, to heat water and other fluids, significantly reducing site-generated greenhouse gas emissions and enabling long-term ROI through decreased utility bills.

“The CSI rebate and the long-term financial benefits of Solar Thermal make this technology an excellent investment for any business that requires large amounts of hot water,” said Justin Weil, President of SunWater Solar. “A Solar Thermal system can reduce water-heating bills by up to 70%, and in 2010 we expect to see more and more businesses tapping into the value these systems can provide.”

Along with the new video, SunWater Solar has also released a Financial Rebates & Incentives fact sheet that explains six different financial options available to prospective buyers of Solar Thermal systems. This fact sheet is informative reading for businesses that understand the potential benefits of Solar Thermal and want to purchase a system for the lowest possible cost.

Click here to download the SunWater Solar Financial Rebates & Incentives fact sheet

(http://www.sunwatersolar.com/solar-rebates-financing.php). Registration is required to download the fact sheet.

“The upfront cost of a Solar Thermal system may be higher than that of a natural gas-fueled water heater, but with the many rebates and financial options available today, buyers can recoup that cost relatively quickly,” said Justin Weil. “And with a 25 to 40 year lifespan, these systems continue paying back long after they’ve paid for themselves.”

SunWater Solar is proud to be part of the global Solar Thermal Revolution that’s poised to sweep the U.S.  We believe that in the years to come, solar hot water will become as popular in the U.S. as it already is in some other countries, like Spain for example.

Spain is a shining example of how widespread use of Solar Thermal technology could look here in the U.S. once the technology takes off. Spain is light years ahead of the U.S. in the terms of developing Solar Thermal, the government having realized in the late 1990’s that this technology could generate massive amounts of low-cost hot water and electricity.

Barcelona, a Spanish city known as the pioneer for solar regulations in Europe, is Spain’s Solar Thermal epicenter. Barcelona has required solar hot water systems on all new public and private buildings since 2000; the first city in Europe to enact such legislation. In Barcelona, new buildings must produce 60% of their hot water with Solar Thermal technology.

In the U.S., financial incentives are the preferred method of encouraging Solar Thermal adoption, rather than laws mandating its use. Ultimately though, the end result of each approach is the same: widespread adoption of Solar Thermal technology throughout the nation.

Solar Thermal is common in first world countries such as Spain and Israel. And in the U.S., thanks to financial incentives and a growing desire for energy independence, the technology is increasingly widespread. Because basic Solar Thermal systems are relatively inexpensive and proven to reduce energy consumption, they’re popular not only in developed nations, but also in places with more limited financial resources.

In Chile, for example, a government project is currently bringing Solar Thermal to hundreds of shantytown residents near Santiago. Solar Thermal systems installed on new homes the government is building for these underprivileged people will provide financial savings of 62% for a family of four using 10.5 gallons of water per day at 115 degrees Fahrenheit. This project comes on the heels of legislation approved last year in Chile authorizing government subsidies of between 20 and 100 percent of the cost of Solar Thermal installations in new residential buildings.

Granted, the vast majority of Americans are far better off economically than the Chileans who will benefit from their government’s Solar Thermal program. But the desire to save money by reducing energy costs has strong appeal across all cultural, economic and national boundaries.

The installation cost of a Solar Thermal system is quite reasonable when you consider the long-term financial benefits. Sure, it may take a few years for the energy savings a new Solar Thermal system provides to equal the cost of installation. With a minimum 25-year lifespan though, these systems continue paying back long after they’ve paid for themselves. No matter what country you’re from, that is a sensible proposition.

“Fermentation may have been a greater discovery than fire” runs a quote by noted author David Rains Wallace. We here at SunWater Solar certainly agree, as would anyone who has ever successfully brewed a batch of ale, lager, stout or other type of beer.

California is well-known for producing fine beers. Brewing companies like Sierra Nevada, Anchor and Gordon Biersch turn out millions of bottles of brew every year from their facilities in California, while countless smaller breweries across the U.S. also add to the diversity of beers that drinkers can choose from.

A large percentage of beer is water, which is also a central part of the brewing process. Breweries need large quantities of water – hot water – to not only make beer, but also to rinse and clean the kegs, tanks and other equipment used to manufacture and ship the final product.

There is a simple elegance in the combination of water, heat and basic ingredients (yeast, sugar, grains, etc.) necessary to craft beer. Bringing the sun’s natural heat into the process by way of a solar hot water system adds to this elegance.

And for brewing companies, which are businesses after all, a solar thermal system can be a sound investment since these systems significantly reduce water-heating costs.  Breweries in Wisconsin, Oregon, and Montana have all turned to solar water heating for their brewery operations.

Water. Natural ingredients. Solar energy. Now that’s a discovery that’s easy to get excited about!

Most people have spent some stretch of time living in an apartment building. If you’ve ever rented an apartment, you know that noisy neighbors, shared laundry machines and crowded conditions can be downsides to apartment life. But having the freedom to move out as soon as a lease ends helps make such inconveniences worthwhile. And as a tenant, you also don’t have to worry about the large amounts of money required to keep an apartment building operational.

Unlike tenants, apartment building owners see their buildings as long-term investments, with long-term costs. Building owners, for example, must frequently pay the entire building’s monthly water-heating bill. Every time a tenant cooks a meal, does laundry or uses the bathroom, that’s money out of the building owner’s pocket! And the more people there are living in the building, the higher the owner’s costs.

Water-heating can account for a large percentage of an apartment building owner’s monthly energy bills. Solar thermal systems reduce energy bills, insulate owners from rising natural gas prices and help owners go green by using the sun’s energy, rather than electricity or fossil fuels, to heat the water used by tenants. A solar thermal system can produce 60% to 80% of an apartment building’s hot water load, and also help differentiate the property among environmentally conscious tenants.

For apartment building owners and tenants, solar thermal is a win-win!

Say the words “Solar Thermal” and readers of the SunWater blog may envision rows of Solar Thermal collectors providing low-cost hot water to homes and businesses. But what many people don’t know is that besides heating water and other fluids, Solar Thermal technology can also reduce air-conditioning and industrial cooling costs.

Solar cooling systems use concentrating solar collectors and absorption chillers to drive the cooling process for air conditioners and industrial cooling. So how exactly does such a system save money for building owners?

Electricity rates are often tiered, meaning that the more electricity a building uses during peak hours, the higher the rate charged for that electricity. Peak hours often occur on hot sunny days when the air conditioning load is highest. Installing a solar cooling system can result in big savings since the system reduces electricity use during peak hours. What’s more, the same concentrating solar collectors used for cooling can also be used to heat water for the facility.

Summer is coming, and if you’re looking to cut your cooling bills this year, give SunWater a call today to learn more about how you can cool it down with Solar Thermal!

President Jimmy Carter set a great example in the 1970′s when he installed a solar hot water system at the White House. When President Reagan took over he removed the panels from the White House just seven years after they were put into service.

Now there is a new call for President Obama to follow Carter’s example and install solar hot water and solar PV systems at the White House. This would help set an example for the rest of the country and the world and allow the White House to use renewable energy to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.  SunWater Solar would certainly like to see a solar water heating project at the White House and of course we would be happy to participate!

Senator Bernie Sanders, co-sponsor of the Ten Million Solar Roofs Act, has written an op-ed piece advocating solar in the US and he calls for 200,000 new solar water heating systems to be installed in the next 10 years.

He writes “If we are serious about moving toward energy independence in a cost-effective way, we should invest in solar energy.  If we are serious about cutting air and water pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we should invest in solar energy. If we are serious about creating a significant number of good paying jobs and making the United States a world leader in the production of sustainable energy, we should invest in solar energy. And, as we move forward in the solar revolution, a very good step forward would be the passage of the Ten Million Solar Roofs Act.”

The GreenFinanceSF program was signed into law yesterday by Mayor Gavin Newsom.   The program, once known as SF2, is a PACE  (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program that allows residential and commercial building owners to finance solar water heating systems through their property taxes.   SunWater Solar applauds the city of San Francisco for taking a big step forward in helping people finance solar water heating systems.